Page 20 of Stolen Compliance

“If I was?” he snarks.

I lean in, sure he can smell the alcohol, smoke, and sex that clings to me. “Then I’d suggest you find a way to relax and sleep.”

His brown eyes darken with hatred and something like interest he can’t quite hide. “You offering?”

I laugh, low and dark. “Mmm, you haven’t earned that yet, newbie. You might have gained Dominic’s attention, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. I’d tread carefully if I were you…his cock isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Luca scoffs. “Not interested.”

“For a Second, you’re a terrible liar.” Reaching out, I ghost my fingers down his cheek, noting he flinches at the touch but doesn’t pull away. Long buried thoughts try to stir in me as I imagine actually touching him. “Don’t be such an easy mark if you’re so uninterested…” Straightening to my full height, I yawn again. “As fun as this is, some of us weren’t blessed with natural beauty.”

He snorts. “Now you’re just fishing for compliments.”

I grin. “Go back to your room, newbie. Tomorrow comes early…and you never know what type of danger lurks in the dark.”

I brush past him, our shoulders knocking together. I can hear him curse softly but don’t turn around, content to leave him like that, even if my cock tries to stir in my pants, interested in the dangerous yet intriguing man. I blame Dominic for that…he broke the stupid thing, and now it likes playing with fire.

As I make it to my quarters, I force myself to not think of how sweet it would have been to have had Luca on his knees for me tonight. His tears I tasted, and his blood my teeth and blade had spilled…

Dangerous indeed, but nothing says I can’t play with the guy. After all, Dominic taught me well…

There are far too many fucking reports. It’s my least favorite part of my job. Unfortunately, not even the mafia is immune to this shit.

After filing the day-to-day reports, I start on my special project. I read the updated notes, my brow furrowed as I take in each word.

There’s something not right about Luca being here. I hate to admit—even in my own mind—that the newbie impressed me today. I expected him to crumble, to fall.

My plans for tonight were either going to be taking Teo’s ass if he won the kidnapping challenge or beginning to put Luca through the paces when he failed inspection. Since neither of those are happening, I’m stuck being pissed off as I go through the notes the investigator has sent me.

What’s worse is Teo made no secret that he was headed to the whorehouse. The challenging look he gave me… Fuck, I wanted to wipe that look off his face, but I know I can’t. There are fucking rules. I can never touch the Boss’s daughter, and his son is semi-off-limits. When he fucks up, I can play, but otherwise, all I can do is edge us both.

I shake my head, focusing on what’s in front of me. No matter how hard I try, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Allesandro suddenly be interested in a new revenue stream? They’ve never approached human trafficking before. Yet, thanks to the investigator, I now have video evidence of what they did to the newest member, Emilio. Since he took over as a supposedly temporary Second, he was already on my list to investigate.

I’ve watched it repeatedly and there’s irrefutable proof that Luca took part in what happened. Sure, it was unoriginal, but I could see evidence of my predecessor’s methods. That, in itself, doesn’t compute. It’s there, though. So is the fact it was Luca. No matter how much they tried to hide with voice changers and what else, it’s impossible to hide everything. His mannerisms, his word choice… Well, it seems the newbie may not be as soft as I thought.

Growling, I set the report and video aside. My alarm goes off, and I immediately stand, heading toward the Boss’s office. I knock on his door and wait patiently. As soon as he calls out for me to enter, I step into his domain, closing the door carefully behind me.

I don’t bother to sit. Instead, I fall into a rough version of parade rest. Sergio doesn’t bother to speak to me at first, content to finish his work. I look around the office with disinterest. The gold accents no longer surprise me. Nor does the throne he favors, the heavy focus on scroll work on thick, hardy wood embellished with whatever the carpenters can find. The result is gaudy as fuck, but it’s his office, not mine.

I’m careful to never, ever touch his desk. The one time I saw a visitor do it, they were treated to an almost hour-long lecture about how it was antique, imported all the way from Italy, with some sort of connection to the Martellis. I tuned most of it out and was only relieved when the lecture stopped, even if it was with a bullet to the visitor’s head.

It was messier than normal, though, and I’m not sure if it was worth it because the Boss had to have the carpet replaced. If he’s picky about merchandise, it’s even worse when it comes to fucking decorations, including the damn carpet. It’s nothing that can be found at a store for damn sure.

“Well, how did today go?” Sergio asks as he sets down his custom fountain pen. Not only is it gold, but it’s covered in black diamonds and rubies. Ostentatious is an understatement with Sergio, but we make money hands over fists, so it’s got to be used somehow.

“It was surprising,” I state cautiously, forever careful. “Luca isn’t as soft as I thought he was. I mean no offense to your cousin, but…”

“I understand,” Sergio grunts. “Allesandro does things far differently. It’s right to be suspicious. It makes you a good Second. Still, what surprised you?”

“I had Teo and Luca compete on kidnapping. Teo is very…methodical. He did good not relying on the information I gave him, but it took him a while. In the end, he successfully extracted the girl. He used the sedative and then ‘helped’ her toward the van.

“Luca spent most of that time on his phone. At first, I wasn’t sure what he was doing. It turned out he was deep diving on the boy. By the time the girl was dropped off, it lined up perfectly for Luca. He changed outfits and became a chameleon in essence. I know there’s another Boy marked as Ghost, but it appears your cousin cross-trains.

“He had the boy back to the van within half an hour. Distracted him with a kiss and used the sedative at that point. Since it took him less time, and he kissed the kid for distraction, I had to give him the win.

“I expected him to fail at inspection. He didn’t. Hell, he pushed further than I thought he would. It’s confusing. In some ways he seems soft; in other ways, he doesn’t.”

Sergio snorts. “I take it your special project isn’t going well.”